Former Rep. Beto O’Rourke said that, should he be elected president, his administration would spend federal dollars to help people in flood-prone areas move to higher ground.
Central to O’Rourke’s answer was Houston, Texas, where a series of floods have affected parts of the sprawling city, raising questions about whether people should rebuild in the same places that have already flooded multiple times.
“People would move out of those neighborhoods if they could,” O’Rourke said. “They are sick and tired of being flooded and rebuilding, but they can’t afford to” move.
He added: “That’s why under my administration we’re going to invest the resources that will allow people to move to safer ground, rebuild their homes, their businesses and their lives.”
O’Rourke made clear that this would be for people whose homes have “repeatedly flooded.”
“We should help people move when they need to move,” he said.